With Halloween fast approaching, you and many other Georgia families are likely preparing for various festivities. You may enjoy the holiday and have decorated your home to your liking, and your kids have probably already told you the many ideas they have for costumes. You all have a sense of excitement.

Of course, as exciting as dressing up and trick-or-treating can be, it can also be dangerous for various reasons. As a parent, you certainly want to make sure your kids stay safe. You may already plan to stick to your neighborhood and only go to familiar houses, but if you plan on taking the kids out on foot, it is important to remember safety measures for pedestrians.

Seven important tips

Depending on your children’s ages, you may have older children who can go out on their own, and if you have younger children, you certainly stick with them throughout the evening. Still, sharing these safety tips with your older children and adhering to them yourself could help lessen the likelihood of an accident:

• Go trick-or-treating in a group if possible. If your family alone will not make up a big enough group, consider asking individuals in your neighborhood to go together.
• Make sure that all children and adults have flashlights so that they can see better and so that vehicles can see them.
• Having reflective material on costumes, adding reflective tape, or having reflective treat bags can also increase the visibility of children.
• Walk on the sidewalk or as far to the edge of the roadway as possible.
• Utilize crosswalks where available to cross any streets.
• Watch for vehicles and do not assume that they will stop for trick-or-treaters.
• Stay in areas that are well-lit.

Halloween can be a fun time for everyone, but just like any other day of the year, accidents are possible. If you or your child ends up hit by a vehicle, serious injuries are likely.

After an accident

Even if you do your best to keep your kids and yourself safe, anything can happen. After a pedestrian accident, ensuring that you, your child or any other victim receives medical attention is the first priority. If the driver involved in the incident is at fault, you may also want to look into legal options for seeking compensation for medical bills and other damages allowable under state law.